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Entering the world of work is an extremely important event. Coming to terms with a professional career for the first time, the nervousness shortly before the first job interview through to starting the first job in a training company is like a rollercoaster of emotions. Great Place To Work® Switzerland wants to be part of this extraordinary, significant and long-term formative stage in the lives of many young people. We want to know what motivates apprentices, what moves them and what is important to them. And more! We want to help training companies in Switzerland to perceive and understand the needs and wishes of their apprentices and to implement them in such a way that everyone benefits in the long term.
The apprentice survey by Great Place To Work® Switzerland
To this end, we examined numerous training companies throughout Switzerland and asked the next generation of employees, specialists, team leaders, project managers, CEOs and visionaries themselves.
"What do you want from your training company?"
This question is not only being addressed by Great Place To Work® Switzerland, but also by many organizations that are also looking closely at the target group of "learners" and want to attract young talent to their own organization.
Is it really the payday, the free gym membership, the flexible working hours or is it something else entirely that is essential for learners? We want to get to the bottom of these and other questions with the Great Start! apprentice survey to get to the bottom of these and other questions.
We took a closer look at our Great Start! certified training companies from last year and were able to identify factors that are particularly important to apprentices and have a significant influence on their satisfaction with their own training company:
The real drivers of learner satisfaction
Our research made it clear that team spirit and pride are the main determinants of learner satisfaction. Studies based on scientific findings such as these allow us to show employers and training companies that the job satisfaction of apprentices is not primarily dependent on obvious benefits such as pay (as long as it is fair pay), special social benefits or as much flexibility as possible. Rather, "soft" factors such as fairness, support for personal and professional development and a sense of purpose play an overriding role. Apprentices want to feel welcome and be accepted into the company as fully-fledged employees, receive regular feedback and, above all, get involved themselves in order to make their own meaningful contribution to the organization and society.
While these factors may have received too little attention in the past, their influence on learner satisfaction is undeniable. They are not only indicators of learner satisfaction, but also essential in determining whether they enjoy their employment, are motivated and committed, and whether they will consider remaining loyal to their company in the long term.
Valuable insights thanks to regular survey cycles
The regularity and timeliness of our surveys also enable us to record any changes in learners' needs. This also applies to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is making it even more difficult for apprentices to enter the workplace. In addition to pride and team spirit, the dominant factors for satisfaction in the current situation include involvement in decisions and regular updates on important information. After all, trust is more important than ever during the pandemic: Learners must be able to trust that they will be included, that their views will be taken into account and that important information will be shared with them. At the same time, organizations and training companies must trust that learners will work independently and handle internal company information correctly.
These findings highlight the need for and relevance of regular survey cycles. A survey every few years is not enough to capture situational needs and thus reflect the current zeitgeist.
By regularly surveying learners, organizations gain valuable insights into the needs of their learners and can develop best practices on this basis. In this way, the relationship between learners and the training company can also be strengthened and further developed in the long term.
